BILBAO
DAY 7: 11km to Bilbao
This morning we say goodbye to Julen. He has to head back to his university. He was the youngest in the group and his energy always made me smile - I am sorry to see him go. Today is a really short and easy walk to Bilbao and we are arrive by 11am. It's There is quite a view walking into of the city as we descend from the top of a mountain.
On the way through town, we stop at the Santiago Cathedral where we get stamps for our pilgrim passports. The passport allows us to stay at the discounted pilgrim hostels for only 5-7 euros a night. Some of the stamp designs are quite creative and I am enjoying my growing collection of hostel and church stamps.
A group of us get rooms at the Hotel Arriaga in the old section of town. We drop our bags off and shower. I'm off headed to the Guggenheim. This famous art museum has two amazing artist exhibitions. One by sculptor Richard Serra titled “The Matter of Time”. Walking through his huge curving metal pieces reminds me of the Camino with its winding paths and curiosity what is around the next curve. The second featured artist is Anish Kapoor - a very versatile eastern Indian artist who creates sculptures from various media such as stone, aluminum and resin.
Not to be missed is the Bilbao Abando Station which is famous for the stained glass that overlooks the train platforms. Inside you can see a large stained-glass window which depicts the life and customs of the city along with its history.
I also visit the La Ribera Market, which was built in 1929 and covers 10,000 square meters, making it the largest indoor market in Europe. The design is based on function over anything else as the inside resembles a factory with large open spaces free from columns and an extensive collection of Art Deco stained glass windows that flood the interior with light.
DAY 8: 13km to Pobena
At the Hotel Arriaga, I have a private room so I can actually sleep in... and I wake up on Camino time at 7am! It’s been 6 nights of sharing a room and bathroom with 12 to 20 people and the nightly symphony of snorers, which is followed in the wee hours of the morning by the bag rustlers - who insist on getting up way too early and seem to have the need repack their entire bag, in the dark, with their headlamps flashing and... of course, their stuff is packed in at least 12 different plastic bags so they can't find anything, and they make maximum noise when most of us are still trying to sleep! And then we don't know which language to yell at them in!! We all just joke about it.
Today Raymond heads out early. Eric and Zinobia are going to look for a doctor for as Zinobia has developed a badly infected foot. Michel and I take the metro to Portagulette to get past the industrial area and surrounding suburbs. From Portulagette we take a lovely route along a brand-new bike/pedestrian trail. It goes for 10 miles directly to the ocean. Along the way is pasture land and close to the trail are, small - maybe 1/4-1/2 acre, weekend gardens. We get to Probena early and call it a day, as the next open hostel is too far for today. We shower, do laundry and go for a beach walk. There are 10 surfers out there. They are on the choppy waves, all bundled in wet suits. It’s too cold for a swim today.
Back at the hostel in Probena, Michael, Hiedi & Uve (German) show up, then Berrie (Dutch) and Mia (Flemish). At dinner we are 4 Germans, 1 French, 1 Spanish, 1 Dutch and me as the solo American. I'm happy to speak German again.
Day 9: 20 km to Islares
It’s raining and chilly and Uve, from Germany, says there is no bad weather just bad clothes. I put on my rain jacket and my poncho. I wear my sandals, having decided I want to keep my shoes dry for the evening when it will be cold. We set off on a paved path that goes along the ocean and is really windy. I have to tie the ends of my poncho together so the whole thing doesn't fly off. It’s seriously wet and yet somehow exhilarating. The trail leads to the N634 where we walk along the road for a while. The good thing is that at least the road isn't hot thanks to the wet day.
Berrie and I have a discussion about what the Camino has meant for us so far. We agree it has been about trust, openness, tolerance, friendship and love. The Camino is leading us closer to our true inner selves... to our souls. In true Camino fashion, Berrie moves ahead of me, and we are each left alone with our thoughts for a while.
We stop at a café long enough to warm up and fill up, and then it’s back out to the road. We enjoy exploring and visit an old church perched next to the ocean. There is an inviting sculpture of a woman diving into a river. Out of town, we find an above-ground style cemetery. What a great way to RIP... facing the ocean.
We arrive at the hostel in Islares mid-afternoon. The ocean on our right has been our companion all day.
DAY 10: 22 km to Sontona
For some reason, we all wake up early. It looks like another wet day so I decide to wear my sandals again because they dry quickly overnight. We decide to do the entire route, about 20 km, on the road N363. It rains off-and-on all day. As we are coming down a mountain into Laredo, we hear music. As we get closer to town, we see banners and booths. We find out a medieval festival is going on and lots of people dressed in costume for the occasion! Michel and I feel like we fit right in, as pilgrims who have been walking this route since the Middle Ages. People look at us, however, as they can't quite figure out how we fit in. We're simply excited about all the food choices! There are booths with big loaves of bread, baskets and baskets of olives, sheets of cakes, assorted cheeses and more. We settle on a cheese/pimento pastry.
We make it through the festival and have a quiet walk along the promenade to the end of the sand, where a boat, ferries passengers between Laredo and Santora. The boat pulls right up onto the beach where a guy throws down a plank, and the passengers disembark and new passengers embark. We climb aboard. During the ferry ride, they play loud happy music. The last song was the 1950's song "See You Later Alligator". Makes you want to get up and dance!
Michel and I arrive in the charming town of Santora. We make our way along cobblestone streets through town to the hostel. I clean up and head back through town. It is around 5 pm and it seems the whole town is out-and-about with lots of kids on the playground. Farther along is the harbor, where there are at least seven huge fishing vessels tied up, all with a big mound of fishing nets piled in front of them on the dock. This is obviously a large commercial fishing town.
A peaceful sunset invites me to reflect on how well suited solo travelling is to my personality - I have the flexibility to challenge myself physically on the trail, and plenty of time to soak up the fascinating things I encounter along the way...